DEAR JOAN: My boyfriend and I have a lovely, happy, friendly 3-year-old golden retriever named Zeus. He is extremely energetic but has never responded to any kind of traditional collar and leash.

He would pull until he choked, ignore verbal commands, rip away constantly to chase squirrels, and more. Finally, at our wit”s end, we tried an electric collar.

It worked within days. We never have had to turn it up to the point that he yelped in pain and yet we can walk him confidently now with him right at our side and obeying every command.

Trouble is, last night I ran into an irate woman on the sidewalk who screamed at me that it was illegal to not have him on an actual physical leash and that she was going to call the police.

Is this true? I searched everywhere and cannot find anything about using an electric leash in public and the legality of it. We”ve used it for two years now with no problems.

Am I breaking the law by using an electric versus a traditional leash?

Sam and Gail Hahn

San Jose

DEAR SAM AND GAIL: I”m sorry to tell you this, but yes, you are breaking the law. The city”s municipal code for animals doesn”t make mention of an electronic leash, but it does clearly state that dog owners must keep their dogs “under direct physical restraint by means of a leash not to exceed 6 feet in length.” I spoke to a police spokeswoman who says that means you need a leash, not a virtual one.

Zeus now is so well trained that I think there”s no reason he should fight a leash clipped onto his electronic collar. In fact, he may be so accustomed to walking along side you, you may not even need the shock collar. Give it a try.

You also could petition the city to amend the leash law if you can prove that electronic restraints are equal to physical ones.

We had been watching two very young squirrels scooping up the fallen olives from our deck, then running along the rail and jumping into the trees. It was such a delight. They looked like they were having such fun and I was happy they were finding food here.

Then it got dark and I saw a large, very brown bird — a hawk, maybe — pluck one of the babies off the rail and goodbye.

The poor birds and squirrels are in jeopardy when the fruit trees are loaded. There are bad ones with guns about, who complain about “the darn things eating our fruit.” We are supposed to be smarter than animals and find other ways to protect our fruit from them.

My mom once caught my brothers throwing stones at our lovely bird visitors and she told them that she looks for signs that the birds are after the fruit and walnuts because they know the ones with tasty worms inside and they are helping us.

It makes me sad that people are hurting our glorious wildlife — people who club cats and raccoons, and people who move away and leave their pets. Sorry, I get wound up about it.

Mrs. N.

San Jose

DEAR MRS. N.: I get wound up, too. The hawk getting the squirrel is just nature, but there”s no reason for humans to be cruel to animals or each other.